TIPS ON MEMORIZING
Mar 12, 2010 DANCE Advice & Tips
TIPS ON MEMORIZING DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY
Mark the boxes of techniques you use and work for you.
Many people use different techniques to help them remember a set of choreography. Here are a few ideas to help you stay on track. At the beginning of a new year, many dance students are returning from winter break and beginning to learn their routines for a summer production. Whether you have one or 20 dance pieces to learn, it is important to have a strategy to remember the choreography. Here are a few ways to look at your choreography and break it down into smaller parts, in order to remember the entire piece.
o Counting
Dances are usually counted in eights (as in, two bars of music equals one eight and would be counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). A way to remember the choreography for a piece would be to think about what happens on each count, in relation to the music. The emphasis points in a certain piece of music, for example, may be on the counts of four and eight. In this case, you would want to remember what step you are doing on each count of four and eight. If you can memorize these steps, then you can begin to piece together the other six counts, as transition steps to the main emphasis points.
o Memorizing Phrases
In any choreography, there are certain phrases, or groups, of steps that link together to form an entire piece. If you can memorize each important phrase, then you piece together the rest of the choreography as transitions between the phrases. An example of two phrases would be “ball-change, chaine, leap turn”, and “walk, walk, pirouette, jump to second”.
If you can remember these phrases, then it would be easier to remember that there is, for example, a four-count walk to a new position in between them. This will help you to link phrases and remember the entire piece of choreography.
o Studying Your Choreographer
If performing in a professional show, or if working with a new or guest choreographer in your studio, it is a good idea to research their previous work. This can help you to understand themes and similar phrases in your piece. For example, if your choreographer typically follows a calypso jump with a roll to the floor, then you can probably expect him or her to include this in your piece. When it is included, you will be aware of the combination ahead of time, and will be more likely to remember the sequence of steps in your own piece. You can find examples of many choreographers’ work on their individual websites, competition sites, or on YouTube by searching their name.
At all times, it is important to keep the line of communication open between you and your teacher or choreographer. If you are having difficulty remembering a piece or a certain combination of phrases or steps, you should let them know that you are concerned. They may provide you with a trick or tip to help you more easily remember the choreography. They may also decide to change a sequence of steps if the majority of the group is having trouble with that section.
Students will usually have up to five months to learn a piece of choreography, before cleaning it for performance. During these five months, you should try a variety of strategies to remember the choreography. As always, practicing the choreography alone and with others in the group outside of class can also be a big help. In the last month before a performance, students should know the choreography very well, so that the entire piece can be cleaned and perfected before going on stage.
